Door closer and check



April 3% 1935. B s B N 1,999,274

DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK Filed June 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l fvVE /rag IF5 aw; 3MP

A 7- TU A/Eg v 30, W35. B. s. BERNHARD 1, 74 DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK FiledJune 21, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet 2 WI/EA/TU a? f ATTUR/V g Aprifi 30, 1935.as. BERNHARD DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 21, 1934W Q AT W,

TURN I i atenied Apr. 30, 1935 uNiTao srar ATENT osrics 3 Claims.

is quite eflicient, although veryunsightly. The" concealed type of doorcheck is not as efiicient,

partly due to the small space available for the operating parts, but isthe most sightly of all door closing mechanisms. One objectof myinvention is to provide a door closing and checking mechanism which isconcealed for its greater part with only a minor portion visible, itbeing desirable to make those parts of the mechanism, which are subjectto great strain, of sufficient size .and strength and to so locate themwith relation to each other as to give the desired strength andefiiciency. This requires an. appropriate increase in available spaceand consequently aportion of the device extends outside of the door andis visible.

My invention is a mechanism for closing and checking doors or otherswinging memberswhich embodies the strength and efliciency of theordinary overhead check but which has a great advantage over such prioroverhead checks from the standpoint of sightliness, because so little ofit is visible. In this way I provide substantially the sightliness of aconcealed door check with substantially the efficiency of an overheaddoor check. V 7

It is further well understood that the broken arm method of utilizingthe closing power in a door check is more efiicient than the parallelarm.

With the former construction, the effective lever is shortest and,therefore, most powerful when the door reaches the latching or closedposition. With the latter, the effective lever is the longest at theclosing or latching position, there actually being noadvantageous'change in the length of the effective lever.

As disclosed in the drawings, the preferred form of my inventionpertains to adoor closing mechanism so designed that the closing springsand the checking piston are enclosed in that part of a casing which isconcealed within the top rail of the door. The operating shaft, whichcarries a pinion, in the form disclosed in the drawings, is enclosed inthat part of the casing which is visible beyond the surface of the door.The operating shaft is, therefore, not on the same center line as thechecking piston, the latter being the case in all prior door checks inwhich the mechanism is concealed or partly concealed. This offsetting ofthe pinion axis with relation to the longitudinal axis of the pistonprovides compactness but also provides greater space where compactnessmight interfere with strength. In other words, the parts subject togreat strain are located partly outside of the door, so that there maybe sufficient space to make them of the desired size and strength, suchspace, if within the door, being insulficient for the location andcooperation of the parts subject to great strain.

A feature of my invention is the use of a piston whose longitudinal axisis within the swinging member in combination with a rotary actuatingshaft whose axis is located exterior to the swinging member.

Other features of compactness and efficiency will be pointed out below.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan, partly in section, of a device embodying myinvention;

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section, similar to Figure 1, but showing the swingingmember in open position;

Figure .4 is a section, similar to Figure 2, but showing the swingingmember in open position; and

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Support i may be a door frame, for example, and upon it is hinged at 2 aswinging member 3, which, in the form shown, is a metal door. The dooris provided with a recess R and with a lateral opening 0 in one sideface of the door; this recess serves to receive snugly the or bodyportion of a casing l2 and the casing has a laterally projecting portionl2 extending snugly through the opening in the side face of the doorbeyond the side face. ing portion of the casing is of substantially lesslength than the casing and constitutes the only visible part of thecasing. .Pivoted at 4 to a bracket 4 fixed to the support i is one arm 5of an ordinary broken arm, said arm 5 being pivoted at 6 to the otherarm 1, the latter being formed, as usual, with an angular hole (notshown) adapted to operatively engage the corresponding angularprojection 8 on shaft 9,.the latter having fixed to it pinion it. ShaftS rotates in bearing H which may be of metal or other suitable material,said bearing being pressed into a recess in casing i2, said recessreceiving also packing i3. Said casing is also recessed to provide abearing for the end It of shaft 8 and is also recessed at IE to permitrotation of pinion i0. Casing i2 is suitably held, as by screws it, soas to be partly in an opening in the top rail of swinging member 3, apart ll projecting outside of the swinging member.

Within the casing i2 is a rack i8 mounted tobe moved by pinion it, therack being guided at the back by portion E9 of casing 82. The rackmemher it has its teeth formed on a laterally projecting part it! andwith such a construction, I have found it desirable to provide anextension iSa on the rack member which serves to guide the same in itssliding movement and to resist strains imposed upon the rack in theactuating movement of the pinion. Rack member i8 is The laterallyproject- 1 interiorly threaded to engage the exterior threading of bolt20, which fits within member 2! flanged at 22 and 23, said boltextending within the piston 24 and having its bolt-head located in arecess 25 in piston 24. The bolt is screwed into the rack member 13 andholds said member and the member 2! and the piston in fixed relation,this enabling the piston to guide the rack. Flanges 22 and 23 areperforated to receive guide rods 26 and 21, both of which are screwedinto casing 92. Rods 25 and 21 are exteriorly threaded to engage theinterior threading 23 and 25-3 of sleeves 28 and 29, the latter beingalso interiorly threaded to receive screws 30 and 3!. These screws actnot only to hold cover plate 32 in position but also act to preventtransverse displacement of the rods 26 and 27. Coiled springs 33 and 34encircle the guide rods, abutting at one end against flanges 22. and 23andat the other end against flanges on sleeves 28 and 2%.

Cylinder 35 formed in casing I2 receives piston 24, being closed at oneend by plug 33. From the cylinder extends conduit 3'! for suitablechecking liquid, such as glycerin and alcohol, this conduit 3? beingcontrolled by a well-known valve 33, there being provided a conduit 39extending into the guide rod 25 and out therefrom at opening it andthence into chamber l! formed by the walls of the casing l2. A taperedby-pass :32 is provided on the exterior of the piston and cooperateswith conduit 31 to permit passage of the checking material from cylinder35 to conduit 31 when the right end of the piston, as in Figure 2, is tothe right of conduit 31.

In using my device the swinging member, such as a door, may be opened,as by hand, and this opening spreads the arms 5 and I, the latterrotating pinion HI (as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1), thisrotation resulting in moving rack 48 to the left in Figure l andconsequently moving member 2! to the left, compressing springs 33 and34, and moving piston 24 to the left, displacing a small quantity of thechecking material from chamber 4!, the latter being substantially filledwith the checking material, such displacement being through opening 43in the rack and thence through passage 44 in the bolt 20 and by thewell-known ball valve 45 and thence into cylinder 25. When. the door isreleased by the user the springs tend to move'the member 2! and piston24 to the right in Figure 4 forcing the checking material throughconduit 31, conduit 39 and opening 39 into chamber 4!. This movement ofthe piston 24 and member 2! moves the rack 8 to the right, as in Figure4, which results in rotation of pinion l0 and consequently swings thearms 5 and l into the position of Figure 1.

Where a rack and pinion are used they are the parts subject to thegreatest strain and with my construction the rack and pinion can be madeof proper size to effectively take care of all strain and this isbecause I have so located the parts with relation to each other that thedesired strength is obtained and also the desired efficiency. Moreoverwith my construction the pinion may be of a size to give larger travelto the piston with consequent large increase in piston displacement andwith resultant increase in checking properties.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a door having an interior recess and a lateralopening on one side face communicating with said recess, a door checkcasing having a laterally projecting portion of substantially lesslength than the remainder of the casing, said casing being of crosssectional dimension to fit within said recess and substantially fill thesame While being concealed therein except the' laterally projectingportion thereof, said portion projecting through said lateral openingbeyond the door side face, a slidable operating member in said concealedportion of the casing having means for cooperation with a toothedelement, means in said casing for checking the movement of said member,and means including a toothed element and a shaft therefor in saidcasing projecting portion for actuating said first named means, thetoothed element being sufiiciently spaced from the longitudinal centerof the concealed portion of the casing to have its axis positionedbeyond the door side face, Whereby to provide adequate clearance betweenthe said shaft and the door jamb.

2. A door check comprising a casing having a laterally projectingportion of substantially less length than the remainder of the casing,said casing being of cross sectional dimension adapted to fit Within adoor having therefor an interior recess and a lateral opening on oneside face of the door communicating with said recess, the casing beingadapted to be concealed in said recess except the laterally projectingportion thereof and said portion being adapted to project through saidlateral opening beyond the doorside face, aslidable rack member in saidconcealed portion of the casing having a toothed part extending intosaid laterally projecting portion of the casing beyond the plane of thepart of the casing adapted to be concealed, means in said casing forchecking the movement of the rack and means including a pinion in saidcasirg projecting portion for actuating said rack,

the pinion being sufiiciently spaced from the longitudinal center of theportion of the casing adapted to be concealed to have its axispositioned beyond the door side face.

3. A door check comprising a casing having a laterally projectingportion of substantially less length than the remainder of the casing,said casing being of cross sectional dimension adapted to fit within adoor having therefor an interior recess and a lateral opening on oneside face of the door communicating with said recess, the casing beingadapted to be concealed in said recess except the laterally projectingportion thereof and said portion being adapted to pro- J'ect throughsaid lateral opening beyond the door side face, a slidable rack memberin said concealed portion of the casing having a toothed part extendinginto said laterally projecting portion of the casing beyond the plane ofthe part of the casing adapted to be concealed, means in said casing forchecking thev movement of the rack and means including a pinion in saidcasing projecting portion for actuating said rack, the pinion beingsufliicently spaced from the longitudinal center of the portion of thecasing adapted to be concealed to have its axis positioned beyond thedoor side face, said rack member having at one end a guiding andsupporting extension projecting beyond the end teeth, said BENJAMIN S.BERNHARD.

